Film Review: THE PHOENICIAN SCHEME (2025): Wes Anderson’s New Film is a Daring Work of Art With Fine Performances, But it Could Provoke Mixed Responses
The Phoenician Scheme Review
The Phoenician Scheme (2025) Film Review, a movie directed by Wes Anderson, written by Roman Coppola and Wes Anderson and starring Benicio Del Toro, Mia Threapleton, Michael Cera, Benedict Cumberbatch, Tom Hanks, Steve Park, Scott Shepherd, F. Murray Abraham, Willem Dafoe, Bill Murray, Jeffrey Wright, Carmen-Maja Antoni, Donald Sumpter, Rupert Friend, Bryan Cranston and Scarlett Johansson.
Wes Anderson gets smarter and smarter with each new film he makes, but he also can test moviegoers patience when it comes to his artsy banality which is more prevalent in The Phoenician Scheme than in any of his previous movies. Having said that, Mia Threapleton as Benicio Del Toro’s character’s daughter gets to steal the show with impressive line delivery and mannerisms that could help make her the next big actress in Hollywood. Threapleton plays a pipe smoking nun, Liesl, who is well-read and can recognize Morse code when she notices a key character in the picture using it. Del Toro is the star, and he’s super, but Threapleton is the one who emerges a tad more victorious between the two performers.
Anderson doesn’t give the audience much time to get to know businessman Zsa-zsa Korda (Del Toro, chewing scenery) who has had attempts on his life carried out by others he has managed to get angry. So, as the film opens, a plane crashes followed by a scene of Zsa-zsa (complete with a bruised under-eye area) walking through cornfields and grabbing a piece of corn in a zany scenario that could have only come from the mind of Anderson. Michael Cera ably plays Zsa-zsa’s tutor Bjorn. Is he a scientist or an atheist and just how long has it been since his last confession as Liesl so desperately wants to know?
Most of the meat and potatoes of The Phoenician Scheme comes in its third act as the opening stages of the film are just a series of scenes in which Anderson points the camera at actors who talk about things in a sophisticated manner that could, quite frankly, bore non-Anderson fans. As Zsa-zsa wants to leave his daughter, Liesl, money, the film focuses on the bond between the father and daughter as Liesl wonders who killed her mother. Zsa-zsa has some ideas, but claims he’s totally innocent when it comes to having taken another person’s life. According to Zsa-zsa, he never killed anyone.
Just when you think watching Threapleton smoking up a storm couldn’t become more enjoyable, the movie brings Benedict Cumberbatch in out of thin air, looking scruffy and bearded. As Zsa-zsa and Cumberbatch’s character face off, there is a lot of fun as each character grabs a prop to try to use to fight the other one. Before Cumberbatch, Cera’s Bjorn sends a karate move Zsa-zsa’s way as it appears this tutor Cera plays may be more than meets the eye. Bjorn befriends Liesl, but we’re not sure what Bjorn is all about. Liesl wants to practice her faith which keeps her safe from taking certain risks, but she and Zsa-zsa could just teach each other lessons in life by the time the film’s artsy and unique end credits arrive.
Did I mention Bill Murray appears as a scruffy God at one point in an initial moment that will put a smile on viewers’ faces who admire Anderson’s inspired work? Other audience members who are less familiar with the director’s previous pictures will be scratching their heads wondering when this movie is going to get past the slow-burning, getting to know you scenes between Zsa-zsa and Liesl. True, there are moments of people gathered around the table talking about things that only make sense in Anderson’s perfectly bizarre world. These scenes don’t advance the plot as much as they could have and what we’re left with is mainly Del Toro’s performance which creates a fascinating, but occasionally stiff (on purpose), character who discovers the key to happiness by the time the ending of the film arrives.
This film has a terrifically orchestrated series of conversations that are philosophical in nature and a wonderful black and white scene with key characters walking in motion, but the movie feels a little underdeveloped. This is the most threadbare Anderson picture I’ve seen in terms of a plot. Anderson has been at a point in his career where he could do whatever he wants these days, but he seems to have forgotten some key film-making skills that have made him the auteur that he truly has become.
People may also not like the film’s portrayal of the beliefs of the church and Mother Superior (Hope Davis), but Anderson was probably trying to get people a little wound up by a couple of the film’s key plot points. A smoking nun is bound to cause controversy, but one with the audacity that Liesl has is sure to inspire conversations about religious beliefs, personal choices and dedication to God.
Del Toro needs a leading role like this to remind us what a wonderful actor he is. He sinks his teeth into this performance and comes up with, perhaps, his best work since Traffic. Threapleton’s fresh take on her character is more likely to make the audience relate to her rather than Del Toro’s character, but that’s OK because Del Toro’s Zsa-zsa needs to be redeemed anyway, and Liesl will certainly see to it by the time the credits roll.
The Phoenician Scheme has a great cast, but many of the co-stars are underutilized. Blink or go out for a bathroom break and you may miss some of these actors featured here. Willem Dafoe appears in the blink of an eye, F. Murray Abraham does as well and Tom Hanks and Jeffery Wright briefly spit out dialogue, but at the end of the day, they’re just doing this project for art’s sake, not for any other reason.
Still, The Phoenician Scheme is a winner, but a moderate one. It’s pretty slight at times, but it eventually has substance if you make it all the way to the end. I wish I could love Anderson every time he makes a movie and up until now, I think I always did. This time out, I just liked his picture for its ambitions rather than for its attempt at a respectable plot. This movie is more of a character study than anything else and uses many actors to tell a tale that is really about just two performers which are Del Toro and Threapleton’s characters. For some people, every other featured actor could feel like just a decoration to tell a personal tale that may, alas, delight fans of Anderson’s recent work. And, did I mention Scarlett Johansson? No, I didn’t because it seems like her role is nothing more than an afterthought in a sincere film stuffed with fluffy filler that is still undeniably entertaining for Anderson fans despite its flaws.
Rating: 7/10
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